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CE 077 132

Realising the Vision. Second WEA Submission to "The LearningAge" Consultation.Workers Educational Association, London (England).1998-07-0028p.; For a related document, see CE 077 131.Workers' Educational Association, Temple House, 17 VictoriaPark Square, London E2 9PB, England.Opinion Papers (120)MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.Access to Education; Accountability; Adult Learning; AdultStudents; Career Guidance; Community Education; ContinuingEducation; *Education Work Relationship; *EducationalFinance; *Educational Policy; *Educational Quality;Educational Technology; Evaluation Methods; FinancialSupport; Foreign Countries; Government School Relationship;Job Training; *Lifelong Learning; National Organizations;National Standards; Nontraditional Students; PositionPapers; Postsecondary Education; Program Evaluation; SchoolBusiness Relationship; School Guidance; StudentCertification; Unions*Great Britain; Individual Learning Accounts (England);*Learning Society; Workers Educational Association

The Workers' Educational Association (WEA) developed aseries of recommendations in response to the British government consultationpaper "The Learning Age: A Renaissance for a New Britain." Therecommendations addressed the following areas: individual learningrevolution; investing in lear9ins; learning a work; realizing the learningage; ensuring standards, quality, and accountability; and recognizingachievement. Specific recommendations to Britain's government included thefollowing: support and encourage participation and contribution of voluntarysector and community-based organizations in the University for Industry'sservice provision; strengthen the funding base for community and relatedprovision for adult learners; end discrimination against older learnersoperating in current public funding practices; support trade unions' role andcontribution in development of workplace learning; issue a code of goodpractice in workplace learning; require educational guidance and careersservices and the University for Industry to develop appropriate advice,guidance, and support systems to meet adult learners' needs; establish directfunding arrangements for training of part-time and full-time teachers ofadults; commission comparative research to identify the benefits and addedvalue to individuals and society of all forms of postcompulsory education andtraining; and develop a credit accumulation and transfer system that fullyrecognizes the value of qualifications offered by the National Open CollegeNetwork. (MN)

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ooenen

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOff i e of Educational Research

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SecondWEA Submission

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Age'Consultation

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17 VICTORIA PARK SQUARE,LONDON E2 9PB

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© Workers' Educational Association

July 1998

Th

BRNO

V[SIONI

CoMeMs

Preface 3

Introduction 3

Summary of Key Recommendations 5

1: The Individual Learning Revolution 7

2: Investing in Learning 11

3: Learning at Work 14

4: Realising the Learning Age 17

5: Ensuring Standards, Quality and Accountability 20

6: Recognising Achievement 22

Numerical references in the text, unless otherwise Stated, refer to specific paragraphs of 'TheLearning Age'.

PREFACE

This document represents the WEA'ssecond and final submission to theconsultation exercise launched throughthe publication of The Learning Age: ARenaissance for a new Britain.

In April 1998, the WEA's firstsubmission, Bringing Down the Barriers,was submitted to the Department forEducation and Employment and madeavailable widely to institutions, agenciesand individuals who have an interest inlifelong learning. Bringing Down theBarriers focused on the ways by whichthe most disadvantaged in our societycould be supported and encouraged toparticipate fully in the Learning Age.

This second submission, Realising theVision addresses in full the manythemes, proposals, and issues containedwithin the Government's ConsultationPaper. It does so within the context ofthe WEA's commitment to working withall who share that common project ofrealising the Learning Age.

As a further contribution to theconsultation exercise, the WEA hasorganised two public conferences in1998, both designed to encouragediscussion of major components of thelifelong learning agenda. The first, inMarch 1998, on Learning Partnerships,was organised in association with theNational Open College Network (NOCN)and Leeds TEC. The second, in June1998, on Building the National Grid forLeaning: Access for Adult Learners wasarranged in co-operation withManchester Metropolitan University andthe National Institute for Adult ContinuingEducation (NIACE).

Reports of both conferences have beenpublished and are available from theWEA, free of charge, as are furthercopies of the WEA's two submissions.

MMTRODUCTOON

The WEA fully shares the exciting visionof a culture of lifelong learning set out inThe Learning Age. Indeed, it is the kindof vision which has inspired the WEAsince its foundation. With its roots in theself-improvement and radical traditionsof the nineteenth century, the WEA haslong campaigned for a more equal andinclusive society in which individuals canachieve their full potential for the benefitof themselves and society as a whole.

As the Consultation Paper so effectivelydemonstrates, this is a vision which hasequal relevance today. But equally itrecognises as does the WEA - that thecontext in which we seek to realise thatvision has dramatically changed. Wehave to compete in a global market ifliving standards are to be maintained.We have to take full advantage of newtechnologies and approaches tolearning. We have to recognise thatlearning has to become a means forunifying rather than exacerbatingdivisions in society. We have tounderstand that learning needs to betaken to the learner in new andinnovative ways if it is to becomeinclusive and capable of dismantling thebarriers which stand in the way of widerparticipation.

The Secretary of State has argued thatlearning has a contribution to our societybeyond securing our economic future:

"Learning enables people to play a fullpart in their community. It strengthensthe family, the community andconsequently the nation. It helps us fulfilour potential and opens doors to a loveof music, art and literature." (Foreword)

The Consultation Paper recognises alsothat learning takes many forms and isundertaken in numerous locations:

"We learn in many different ways throughformal study, reading, watchingtelevision, going on a training course,taking an evening class, at work, andfrom family and friends." (8)

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The WEA's ethos is centred onresponding to people's desire for thesevaried forms of learning. The WEAbelieves that value is added to their livesthrough participation in learning and thatsuch activity is an end in itself. Again, asthe Secretary of State has asserted, it isimportant to "value learning for its ownsake as well as for the equality ofopportunity it brings". (Foreword)

It is only through support and promotionof all such forms of learning that thechallenge of developing the LearningAge can be met.

Building especially on our long-established links with trade unions, theWEA is taking learning to the workplace,providing new opportunities for some ofthe seven million adults who have noformal qualifications at all. So, forexample, when many of the Return toLearn students on the WENUNISON

'programme receive their creditcertificates it is the first formalrecognition of learning they have had intheir lives. Not surprisingly these arejoyous occasions at which often thewhole family turns up to celebrate.

Building on our links with a wide range oflocal community organisationsthroughout Britain, the WEA is takinglearning to the learners in thecommunities in which they live.Focusing on the groups least likely toparticipate in learning, the WEA is ableto demonstrate the ways in whichimaginative and sensitive approaches tothe provision of learning opportunitiescan benefit the many rather than the few.

The success of the WEA's approach toworkplace, family and communitylearning is a demonstration of whatneeds to be achieved on a much largerscale if the exciting vision containedwithin The Learning Age is to berealised.

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As Learning Works, the report of theWidening Participation Committeerecognised, it is not so much a questionof inventing new solutions, but ratherproviding the scope to build on the manyinitiatives which already exist andbreaking down the institutionalconservatism and compartmentalisationwhich too often stifle initiative andcreativity in education.

In this respect the WEA welcomes theestablishment of the University forIndustry, Individual Learning Accounts,and the National Grid for Learning, all ofwhich should facilitate innovation andflexibility in workplace learning and havethe capacity to stimulate lifelong learninggenerally.

Likewise the WEA is pleased to see anacknowledgement of the work of theWEA and other voluntary bodies (4.19)in promoting community learning. Wewould hope that in due course learningat home and in the community may alsobe an area in which a major initiative tocomplement the Ufl's proposed initialfocus might be launched.

Above all, the WEA believes that the keyissues of the lifelong learning agendaare not mutually exclusive butinterdependent. Building a competitiveeconomy, promoting social cohesion andproviding for personal development andself-improvement must be seen as ofequal importance. Any narrow focus onone at the expense of the other willmean that the comprehensive vision ofthe Learning Age will not be realised.

The Government can justifiably bepleased that the Consultation Paper hasalready provoked such a positiveresponse. Rarely have those working inthe field of lifelong learning been soinspired by a Government consultationexercise. The Government can nowrespond equally positively to thisrenewed enthusiasm and energy.Practical policies and effective supportmust now follow for the vision to berealised.

L_-

'Realising the Vision'Summary of Key Recommendations

in response to 'The Learning Age' Consultation

1 The Individual Learning Revolution

The Government should:

Support and encourage the participation and contribution of voluntary sector and community-based organisations in the service provision of the University for Industry.

Secure the representation of adult learning providers on the planning and management bodiesof the National Grid for Learning.

Promote and support adult learner access to the National Grid for Learning.

Ensure that the adult learning provision of voluntary and community-based organisations ismade available to Learning Direct callers.

2 Investing in Learning

The Government should:

Bring about a shift in public investment in learning, including strengthening the funding base forcommunity and related provision for adult learners, which recognises the centrality of furtherand adult education in the provision of lifelong learning opportunities.

Introduce parity of treatment in public financial support between part-time and full-time learners.

Harmonise student financial support arrangements in further and higher education by the year2002.

End the discrimination against older learners operating in current public funding practices.

Develop arrangements for the pooling of Individual Learning Accounts so that Group LearningAccounts can be created.

Give early consideration to the piloting of an Adult Learning Entitlement of 5 days per year on atargeted and cost-limited basis.

3 Learning at Work

The Government should:

Ensure that the value of learning for personal development is recognised in the expansion oflearning provision at the enterprise and workplace levels.

Support the role and contribution of trade unions in the development of workplace learning.

Issue a 'Code of Good Practice in Workplace Learning', designed to encourage thedevelopment of Workplace Learning Policy Statements, the introduction of Workplace LearningForums, and the agreement of Workplace Learning Compacts.

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Monitor the level and direction of employer investment in training, giving special attentionto the training opportunities provided for those with limited formal levels of qualifications.

4 Realising the Learning Age

The Government should:

Require the educational guidance and careers services and the University for Industry todevelop appropriate advice, guidance and support systems to meet the particular needsof adult learners.

Ensure that provision which aims to prepare learners for entry to courses recognisedunder Schedule 2d of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 is funded by theFurther Education Funding Council.

Ensure that resources designated to promote widening participation are allocatedprimarily on the grounds of learners previous educational achievement.

Ensure that a balance of learning opportunities between key skills provision and broaderadult learning opportunities in the community is made available through the Adult andCommunity Learning Fund.

Introduce a 'Code of Practice' for the development of partnerships at all levels andestablish arrangements whereby the effectiveness of partnerships is monitored.

5 Ensuring Standards, Quality and Accountability

The Government should:

Establish direct funding arrangements for the training of part-time and full-time teachersof adults and for volunteers who provide support for adult learners.

Require NETTS to recognise fully all levels and stages of achievement, types ofparticipation and areas of involvement in lifelong learning, and to ensure that targets aredeveloped at regional, sub-regional and sectoral levels.

Commission comparative research designed to identify the benefits and added value toindividuals and to society of all forms of post-compulsory education and training.

Establish a common inspection framework within which the duties of OFSTED, FEFCI,HEQAA and the Training Inspectorate are performed.

6 Recognising Achievement

The Government should:

Develop a credit accumulation and transfer system alongside the National CreditFramework, which recognises fully the value of qualifications offered by the NationalOpen College Network.

Support and encourage initiatives that aim to develop mechanisms by which learningachievements beyond formal qualifications can be valued.

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1:THE DNDMOIMILLEARNDNG REVOLLMON

In its first submission to the LearningAge consultation, the WEA applaudedthe Government's acknowledgement thata transformation of culture would berequired to achieve the Paper's ambitionand committed itself to join in commonpurpose with all who shared that vision.Necessarily then, a key task forGovernment and for all institutions andagencies, whether in the statutory ornon-statutory sectors, is to ensure thattheir policies and practices, in theirdesign and implementation, recognisethat the obstacles to learning - physical,economic, social, psychological - mustbe honestly addressed and overcome ifthe Learning Age is to be realised.

It is for this reason that the WEA's firstsubmission focused specifically on thiskey issue, of Bringing Down the Barriersto learning. The WEA argued that:

"Some barriers to participation can beovercome with relative ease, others willrequire substantial commitment againstclearly defined targets and may haveimportant implications for the allocationand deployment of resources" (op. cit.13.5).

The WEA demonstrated that through itspractices much success could beclaimed in meeting the learning needs ofthose who, for whatever reason, havefared least well from education andtraining opportunities in the past. TheWEA continues to seek improvement inservices to learners, and to share itsexperiences - the successes and thefailures with others across allinstitutional boundaries.

What the WEA acknowledges is that theLearning Age will present bothchallenges and opportunities to alllearning institutions as they come toterms with that cultural shift which putsthe learner and not the institution at theheart of the Individual LearningRevolution.

The University for industry

It is the establishment of the Universityfor Industry which encapsulates so manyof these challenges and opportunities.The WEA supports its creation andrecognises that over time it has thecapacity to reconfigure the ways in whichlifelong learning is perceived by 'users'and 'suppliers' alike. The principalfunctions of the Ufl, as detailed in thePathfinder Prospectus, are recognisedby the WEA as providing an appropriateframework within which the initiative canbe built. Likewise, the WEA appreciatesand supports the decision that the initialfocus on priority target areas shouldembrace key aspects of workplacelearning, particularly as they relate tosmall and medium size enterprises andspecific industry and service sectors.

For the Uf I to have comprehensivepurchase on lifelong learning, it mustensure that, over time, it remains faithfulto its original design which anticipated amajor contribution to learning in thecommunity and in the home, as well asin the workplace. In the shorter term,those who are charged with overseeingthe formative stages of developmentneed to be sensitive to the very realdangers that could arise if theinstitutional partners are exclusivelydrawn from those who are 'technologyand capital rich', be they in the public orprivate domain. The WEA believesstrongly that the Ufl has an obligation toencourage the active participation andcontribution of the many voluntary sectorand community-based organisationswhich formally and informally provide thelearning environment which, in theSecretary of State's words, "helps makeours a civilised society, develops thespiritual side of our lives and promotesactive citizenship". (Foreword)

Learning Direct

The WEA welcomes the decision thatLearning Direct will become theinformation and advice service for thethe Ufl once it is is fully operational. Afree-call telephone advice and

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information facility has huge potential tomeet the immediate requirements ofthose new to adult learning in helpingthem to identify appropriate learningopportunities available locally. It isimportant that its advice is both impartialand confidential. It is critical that thedata upon which assistance is offered isboth up-to-date and trulycomprehensive. Currently not allproviders of lifelong learningopportunities are able to transmitelectronically their data directly orindirectly to Learning Direct. If LearningDirect is to provide a comprehensiveservice, which can refer callers to localadvice services, adult education andprivate providers, as well as to furtherand higher education institutions, thenshort-term arrangements must be put inplace for the receipt of non-electronicallytransmitted data.

Technology and Learning

The WEA shares the positive vision,permeating The Learning Age, ofinformation and communicationstechnologies transforming the landscapeof lifelong learning. If applied withsensitivity and imagination, technologyoffers powerful new tools for the creationof a truly inclusive and high qualitylifelong learning culture.

In planning and assessing theapplication of technologies, the WEAbelieves that there are some essentialcriteria to be placed at the centre ofdecision-making. These must ensurethat the technologies are the servants oflifelong learning, not the master. Morespecifically, technology strategies must:

o Enhance the experience oflearning: Correct technologicalchoices must be made to ensurethat the quality of the learningexperience is improveddemonstrably.

O Reach new learners and stimulatedemand: Technologies have thecapacity to be both sociallyinclusive and exclusive.

Technology strategies whichfurther exacerbate socialexclusion for example, throughthe creation of inaccessibleislands of technology - must bestrongly resisted.

o Establish new learning pathways:As distinctions between home,workplace, community, and formallearning environments becomeblurred as sites of learning, thereare truly radical opportunities forthe creation of a seamless fabricof learning provision, withcountless locations, entry and exitpoints.

o Provide technology training: Whilstthe numbers of adults with accessto the technologies continues toincrease, there is still a largeproportion of adult learners (orpotential learners) who areunlikely to gain access withoutmeasures specifically designed toassist them. This includes theprovision of basic technologytraining and support, along withfully accessible local learningcentres.

The WEA is convinced that a learner-centred approach to technology andlearning, which harnesses the best ofparticipatory and collaborative traditionsin adult learning with broadcasting andcommunications technologies, will helprealise the vision of the Learning Age.There are now numerous examples ofhow this might be achieved even withminimum technical sophistication. Someof the most exciting developments madepossible by technological change are:

o Partnerships betweenbroadcasters, educators andlearners: The role of broadcastingin stimulating demand for learningis well known. The BBC'Computers Don't Bite' initiativeproved yet again that there ismass demand for learning,stimulated through TV. Newtechnologies, particularly theintroduction of digital TV

broadcasting, offer extraordinaryopportunities for creativepartnerships betweenbroadcasters, those offeringguidance and advice (linked toLearning Direct), adult educatorsand learners themselves. Much ofthe potential however, depends oncontinuing Government action toensure that public broadcastingmaintains its strong commitmentto high quality educationalprogramming.

o Partnerships with libraries: TheWEA strongly supports a dynamicrole for libraries. For manythousands of adults, the first pointof reference in learning is thepublic library service - whether foradvice, guidance or self-study.This role is rapidly developing withthe introduction of public onlineaccess from many public libraries.There is tremendous opportunityfor libraries to play an essentialrole in the creation of local lifelonglearning communities linkingindividual learners, voluntaryorganisations, educationalinstitutions and local accesscentres. Many local accesscentres, of course, may be locatedwithin libraries.

o Collaborative distance learning:Across most curriculum areasfrom local history, to languages, tobasic skills an intelligentapplication of internettechnologies is beginning toenable adult learners to developnew techniques in collaborativedistance learning, enjoining localclass to local class or learner tolearner. Courses can be organisedacross many sites simultaneouslywith each retaining the importantgroup-based discussions andface-to-face meetings, butenhancing the process by sharingideas, thoughts and discussionsacross cities, regions, or thecountry as a whole.

O Collaborative curriculumdevelopment: Relatively simpletechnologies can also supportcollaboration in coursedevelopment, enabling teachers toshare ideas, course outlines andeducation materials. For anorganisation such as the WEA,this is of particular value. TheWEA relies on several thousandpart-time tutors, mostly home-based, and often teaching in veryisolated sites. Technology-mediated collaborative coursedevelopment ensures far greaterskill-sharing, spread of goodpractice, and quality assurance.

o Learning at home, the communityand the workplace: The potentialis there already for lifelonglearning to be delivered in apatchwork of complementarysettings, woven together into acoherent shape through themediation of technology. For theindividual adult learner this shouldbe a seamless continuum ofprovision, with easy progressionroutes, both vertical andhorizontal, across institutions andsectors.

o The global curriculum: Thetechnologies offer importantopportunities for learning in aninternational context. Newinternational markets are openedfor UK learning institutions throughdistance learning and technology-mediated partnershiparrangements. The technologyenables transnationalcollaborative learning - a field inwhich the WEA has developedconsiderable expertise both as ameans of introducing high-qualityinternational perspectives in thedomestic curriculum, and enablingUK adult learners to take part inglobal learning programmes.There is considerable potentialhere for productive collaborationbetween DfEE, Df ID and agenciessuch as the WEA.

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Natiornal Grk:1 for Learrthig

The WEA welcomes and supports theproposed establishment of the NationalGrid for Learning and believes that itsimpact on lifelong learning could beenhanced dramatically if the followingissues are addressed:

O Adult learners should be given fulland comprehensive access to theNational Grid for Learning at theearliest possible opportunity.Whilst applauding the initiative ingeneral, a serious commitment tolifelong learning requires thataccess to the Grid is not restrictedto schools.

o Adult learning providers should berepresented on all planning andmanagement bodies for theNational Grid for Learning toensure that its design andstructure are not exclusivelybased on the needs of schools,thereby precluding the futureparticipation of adult learners.

o There are significant opportunitiesfor private sector investment andmarket development in lifelonglearning. The Government shouldensure that the regulatoryframework around the NationalGrid for Learning includessufficient safeguards to ensurethat it remains inclusive, andtargeted at those facing greatesteducational and economicdisadvantage. Particular careshould be exercised to ensure thatcopyright and licensingarrangements, whilst protectingthe interests of content producers,do not lead to high anddiscriminatory tariff barriers foradult learners. This is especiallytrue in the protection of publicservice obligations ofbroadcasters in the advent ofdigital services.

0 Support and training is required ifthe quality of technology-enhanced learning availablethrough the National Grid forLearning is to be of a sufficientlyhigh standard. The WEAwelcomes the role of the Uf I inencouraging the development oflearning products where there aremarket failures and weaknesses inprovision. However, considerableinvestment is required to improvethe methodological and technicalskills of adult educators, if they areto take advantage of itscommissioning function.

O The National Grid for Learningshould offer full access to adultlearners and educators outsideformal institutional settings. This isof concern to the WEA and othervoluntary and community-basedorganisations where the greatmajority of teaching staff are part-time and work from home, andwhere classes and coursemeetings are held in a widevariety of community settings.Technical solutions requiring veryhigh band-width, for example,would fatally discriminate againstall but major institutional providers.The WEA recognises that thiscould change in the long-term withsufficient investment and revisedregulatory frameworks intelecommunications.

o Wherever possible, employersshould be encouraged to provideaccess at the workplace to theNational Grid for Learning. Thiscould be through 'web to desk'arrangements for all employees,or through the provision oflearning resource centres in spaceset aside within the workplace.Employers and trade unionsshould be encouraged to agreeaccess through appropriateconsultation or bargainingarrangements.

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Loca Access Centres

The WEA believes that adequatelyresourced Local Access Centres in thecommunity, particularly in those urbanand rural areas facing greatesteducational disadvantage, should be ahigh priority. There is an urgent need toestablish national co-ordination betweenGovernment departments and agenciesto avoid duplication of effort andresources. Local Access Centres shouldbe focused on access to learning, madepossible by the introduction oftechnology, rather than access to thetechnology itself.

Attention should be given also toensuring that Local Access Centres haveappropriate and adequate staffingsupport to meet the needs of users.

The WEA recognises that organisationsin the voluntary sector have the potentialto play a key role in the development ofaccess centres in the community that areresponsive to local need, engage localexperience and imagination in designand management of provision, and fostera sense of community ownership andself-management. Provision should beflexible and diverse, but based aroundagreed and kite-marked qualitystandards.

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2: ONVIESTROG ON

LEARNONG

The WEA welcomes the opportunityprovided by the Consultation Paper toaddress the basic principles for publicfunding of lifelong learning, andendorses the view that:

O Investment in learning should be ashared responsibility whereindividuals, employers and thestate contribute.

O Public support should be targetedat those adults in greatestfinancial need.

O Public support for learners shouldaim to:

bring back into learning thosewhose formal education did notextend beyond school

widen access for those whoare most disadvantaged

enable individuals to choosethe method of learning whichsuits them best.

The WEA welcomes the announcementof a number of funding initiatives asvaluable practical expression of howthese principles can be developed:

O Employee Education DevelopmentFund

O Adult and Community LearningFund

O University for Industry LearningCentres

O Basic Skills Innovation andSummer Schools Funds

O Individual Learning Accounts

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In the longer term it is the WEA'scontention that the application of thesebroad principles presents a series ofmajor challenges, most especially forGovernment:

O How to maximise leverage frompublic investment.

O How to stimulate employerinvestment in training for allemployees in all sectors of theeconomy.

o How to encourage increasedindividual investment.

o How to create a regulatory andfunding regime where institutionalproviders are responsive to theneeds of lifelong learners,particularly those who traditionallyhave not participated in post-school learning.

Public lnvesitment

Within an environment of limited publicresources, it is clear to the WEA thatmass participation in lifelong learning willonly be achieved with a progressive shiftin emphasis in public investment:

o From higher level to entry-level infurther education.

o From public funding of research toteaching, and from full degreework to studies leading to partialcredit and higher diplomas, inhigher education.

O From higher education to furthereducation.

O Which strengthens the fundingbase for community and relatedprovision for adult learners.

The WEA remains concerned that furthereducation, in comparison to other partsof the public education service, has been

underfunded in recent years, a viewsupported by the House of CommonsSelect Committee on Education andEmployment (Sixth Report).Furthermore, research for the FEFCWidening Participation Committeeconfirms the disparity in student supportavailable to further education comparedto full-time students in higher education.Evidence confirms also that theoverwhelming majority of working classparticipants in post-school education usefurther education institutions and nothigher education institutions. The WEAbelieves that for the Government toachieve "greater consistency so thatdifferent providers get a similar balanceof funding from the public purse,individuals and employers" (2.6), thensuch disparities must be addressed.

The WEA believes that the heart of theLearning Age for the majority of peoplewill be an approach to learning whereepisodes of study are undertaken part-time and complementary to thechallenges and priorities of adult life. Forthe WEA it follows therefore thatinstitutional funding and individuallearner support needs to be 'mode free'and based on consistent principlesapplied across sectoral divisions. Mostcritically, the WEA would argue that part-time learners need parity of treatmentwith full-time learners. Parity oftreatment in financial support for learnerscould be achieved within the lifetime ofone Parliament; moves to harmonisestudent support in further and highereducation could be introduced by theyear 2002.

It is evident that Britain is an ageingsociety with significant changes in thepattern of working lives and inparticipation in education and training,and emerging sharp differences in theeconomic well-being of older adults. TheLearning Age must be sensitive andresponsive to the learning needs of theold as well as the young and ensure thatdiscrimination against older learners,operating in current public fundingpractices, is overcome. It is to beregretted therefore, that the ConsultationPaper does not consider it appropriate to

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make income-contingent loans availableto those over the age of 50 who do notplan to re-enter the labour market.

indMdual Learning Accounts

The introduction of Individual LearningAccounts is an exciting proposal and onewhich is welcomed warmly by the WEA.Such a national system, financedthrough a partnership of individualcommitment, employer support andpublic support, could have a vital role inattracting those who are the mosteducationally disadvantaged in society.In the early stages of delivery, it isappropriate that learning accountsshould be targeted at those withoutqualifications and in low skill jobs, andthose seeking to return to work. TheWEA endorses the Consultation Paper'sview that:

"Learning accounts will need to be partof a coherent approach to welfarereform, in which relieving poverty is notjust a question of financial support butalso of enabling people to get the skillswhich allow them to earn their own living"(2.17).

The Consultation Paper is right toemphasise that flexibility of use isessential. It is important also torecognise that those targeted forlearning accounts should have thefacility, free of charge, of impartial andindependent guidance and support inmaking informed learning choices. Theconfidence to take up a learning accountshould not be assumed, and at bothworkplace and community levels,willingness to participate would beimproved dramatically if IndividualLearning Accounts could be 'pooled' intoGroup Learning Accounts therebyallowing collective participation inlearning programmes which meet bothgroup and individual learning needs.

The WEA welcomes the proposal thatlearning accounts can be used to helpmeet the costs of childcare.In the longer term, the WEA views the

introduction of Individual LearningAccounts as, in part, offering a firsttransitional stage towards an adultlearning entitlement. The WEA continuesto be commited to the establishment of auniversal adult learning entitlement as anessential building block in the creation ofthe Learning Society. As a next stage inthat process, it believes the Governmentshould explore the possibility of pilotingan adult learning entitlement of five days'learning a year, available on a targetedbasis and within a cost-limited budget.

There are two crucial elements which theWEA recognises in persuading adults ofthe relevance of learning to their lives:

0 The first steps back can be into anenormous range of possibleprovision, and the traditionalvocational/non-vocational dividesimply has no significance.

0 The motivation will often beindividual or group issue-definingand problem-solving.

An adult learning entitlement musttherefore promote an entirely openapproach to the definition of 'provision', ifit is to be effective. Otherwise, it mightintensify, rather than reduce, exclusion.

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3: LEARNING AT WORK

The WEA agrees that if the LearningAge is to be realised a transformation willbe required in workplace learning.Amongst the measures proposed, theWEA welcomes especially:

O The creation of an EmployeeEducation Development Fund toencourage innovative projects inworkplace learning.

o The remit of the University forIndustry to include a particularfocus on learning in small andmedium size enterprises.

o The additional support to expandbasic skills training and theestablishment of a working groupto advise on effective post-schoolbasic skills provision.

o The additional support to allow forthe expansion of ModernApprenticeships.

The WEA is heartened by theConsultation Paper's recognition that:

"Learning is a natural issue forpartnership in the workplace betweenemployers, employees and their tradeunions" (3.10).

It endorses the view of the ConsultationPaper that:

"This joint activity, focusing on practicalissues such as time off for learning,employer support for individual learningaccounts, and training plans for staff,signals a new and modern role forunions" (3.10).

Indeed, it is the WEA's view that the keyto a transformation in workplace learninglies in the creation of effective workplacepartnerships between the socialpartners. Their mutual recognition that

workplace learning should include a widevariety of learning, as the Fryer Reportargued, would be a further contributionto the process of transformation. TheWEA believes that three broadcategories of learning each deserve andrequire supporting:

O Task specific or job-relatedlearning: Designed to improve thecompetence, efficiency andproductivity of the workforce withintheir current occupations.

o Parallel and transferable skillslearning: Designed to create amore flexible workforce responsiveto the changing nature, or shortterm staffing needs of a particularemployer.

o Personal development learning:Designed to create opportunitiesfor personal fulfilment and toprovide the knowledge, skills andcompetence necessary to enableindividuals to make employmentand career changes not limited toprogression within their presentemployment.

lEmpOoyee Devekapment

Without undervaluing in any way theimportance of training in specific andtransferable skills, the WEA's primaryconcern, as a provider of workplacelearning, is in expanding theopportunities made available forpersonal employee development.

It is the WEA's view that personalemployee development contributesdirectly to enhancing learningundertaken across the full range ofvocational programmes.

The WEA's experience of the expandingarea of employee development has beenwholly positive and has led to theidentification of a number of positiveoutcomes for individual learners and thesocial partners, which include:

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o Wider recognition for the value ofmore liberal and personaldevelopment strands withinemployee workplace learning.

o The importance of targeting low-paid, low status employees and,where this has been done, therebyestablishing considerable latentdemand for learning amongstthese groups.

o Encouraging unions to becomeinvolved in securing a wider rangeof educational opportunities fortheir members.

o Sustaining the idea of theworkplace as a site for learning.

The Consultation Paper offers as anexample of workplace partnership inaction the UNISON Return to Learnprogramme (inset, p.36), a programmewhich has been designed and deliveredthrough a National PartnershipAgreement between UNISON and theWEA. Importantly, it has beendeveloped as a trade union initiative inan employee development context, witharound one-hundred public serviceemployers supporting the scheme.Amongst its key strengths, identified byUNISON and the WEA, are:

o It is a flexible and responsivescheme.

o It allows individuals to learn fortheir own personal developmentwithin a collective framework.

o There are strong learning linkswith the real social and economiccircumstances of individuallearners.

o There is a strong national profileand an ability to deliver nationallya quality assured programme.

It is encouraging for the advocates ofenhanced workplace learningopportunities to note that theGovernment's commitment to theUniversity for Industry, to the introduction

of Individual Learning Accounts, thecreation of an Employee EducationFund, and, importantly, to the 'wideningparticipation' agenda, provide a publicpolicy framework within which employeedevelopment can continue to grow.

The WEA, in association with otherproviders, will play its full part in thisprocess by ensuring that its support for,and involvement in, employeedevelopment schemes embraces:

o A broad educational approach thatspans vocational/non-vocationalboundaries.

o Targeting of disadvantagedgroups.

o Encouraging and creatingstructures for progression andconsolidation.

o Employee and trade unioninvolvement in design anddelivery.

o The inclusion of an element ofpaid-release to study.

orkpiace Partnerships

The WEA recognises that the capacity oftrade unions to support fully thetransformation of workplace learning willdepend not least on the extent to whichsocial partnership is encouraged andsupported by Government actions.

Trade union advocacy for the 'learningrevolution' is indispensable for thetransformation of workplace learning. Atenterprise level the active participation oftrade union workplace representativescould help stimulate the motivation tolearn amongst employees and, critically,provide a supportive collectiveframework for workplace learning in theeyes of trade union members. TheTUC's Bargaining for Skills programmehas demonstrated already how vitaltrade union support can be to thedevelopment of skills training atenterprise level.

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No better stimulus could be offered nowthan the formal recognition by theGovernment that Learning Partnershipsbetween trade unions and employers willneed the support of an appropriateframework, preferably through a 'Code ofGood Practice in Workplace Learning'.

The WEA supports the view of the FryerReport that such a Code could provideguidance on the preparation byemployers of Workplace Learning PolicyStatements, promote the establishmentof joint Workplace Learning Forums, andsupport the conclusion of WorkplaceLearning Compacts between employersand trade unions.

Such a framework would have theadditional advantage of providing animportant workplace context for twomajor Government lifelong learninginitiatives, the Uf I and ILAs. For the Uf I,these arrangements could provide alocus for the identification of learningneeds and analysis of whether suchneeds can be satisfied by provisioncurrently available. These arrangementscould allow ILAs to be opened andaccessed by groups of employees, aswell as individuals, thereby offering thetype of flexibility which ILAs must have ifthey are to stimulate learningcommitment amongst individuals.

EmpOoyer Onvestment

The WEA supports the ConsultationPaper's view that:

"Equipping people with the rightknowledge and skills will be crucial tomaintaining high and sustainable levelsof employment" (3.1).

While recognising that there is muchgood practice in employer-providedworkplace learning, it remains a concernthat in general terms, as theConsultation Paper notes, "investment(in training) is unevenly spread andvariable in quality" (3.2). The tendency isstrong for those in employment who arealready advantaged through goodeducation qualifications to receive furtheremployer-provided training and career

support. This must be compared to thoseemployees, who have been initiallydisadvantaged through poor formaleducational attainment and who performlow status jobs with limited or negligibletraining opportunities.

The WEA recognises that theGovernment is committed to securingincreased employer investment in lifelonglearning through voluntary means alone.Within this context the WEA believes thatactions can be taken which wouldencourage employers to give specialattention to the training needs of thosewho traditionally have benefitted leastfrom training opportunities. Comment hasbeen made already on the importance ofthe Uf I focus on small and medium sizeenterprises where training opportunitiesare often poor. In addition, the WEAwelcomes the statement that TECs willfocus on small and medium sizeenterprises in their workforcedevelopment plans, and offers tocooperate with TECs and providers indeveloping a comprehensive range ofworkplace learning programmes,including those delivered through LocalAccess Centres.

The WEA believes that the effectivemonitoring of the level and direction ofemployer investment in training is of vitalimportance. It is especially concernedthat monitoring processes shouldincorporate the facility to recordemployer investment which is targetedspecifically at the training needs of thosewhose formal level of qualifications isbelow NVQ Level 3.

The Consultation Paper recognises thevalue of targets as "a focus for actionand a benchmark for progress" (3.5).Accordingly, national training targetsmust be dis-aggregated to sectoral,regional and local levels if they are tohave effective purchase on employerinvestment in training. The extent towhich targets for employer-providedtraining are met within an appropriatetime scale should determine theGovernment's view on whether or not avoluntary framework should continue toattract its support.

4: REALOSDNG THE Advice, Guidance and SupportLEARNDNG AGE

For too long the educational system hastolerated patterns of participation thatcontribute to a learning divide within thepopulation. The virtuous circle of thosewho have benefited from learningwhether economically, socially orculturally, then demanding and receivingmore learning, is set against a cycle ofnon-participation, under-achievementand disaffection for those who 'failed' ateducation the first time round. Thissituation was succinctly summarised byLearning Works, the report of theWidening Participation Committee interms of: `If at first you don't succeed....you don't succeed'.

Changing this demoralising anddebilitating approach will requirefundamental shifts in attitudes andapproaches from employers, learningproviders, national, regional and sub-regional government and learnersthemselves.

The WEA believes that the followingapproaches will begin to overcomes thelearning divide and thereby contribute tothe realisation of the Learning Age:

o Recognising the centrality ofeducational advice, guidance andsupport for those beyondcompulsory school age.

O Supporting initiatives that widenparticipation in learning by thosewho traditionally have been non-participants.

o Taking learning to the people andensuring it adds value to theirdaily lives.

o Recognising the importance ofgroup as well as individualparticipation in learning.

I 3

The WEA welcomes the ConsultationPaper's recognition of the dynamic rolethat educational guidance and careersservices have in informing potential andcurrent learners of the opportunitiesavailable to them. The WEA endorsesthe Paper's view of the need for staffdevelopment within the further educationsector on the issues of guidance. Formany learners the tutor is the person towhom they turn first for information onhow best to continue their learning andto what opportunities it may lead. Thisfront line source of advice and guidancerequires support and development iftutors are to respond effectively torequests for advice as well as acting asefficient referral agents.

Accordingly, the WEA urges theGovernment to develop an effectivemulti-agency, free entry framework forthe delivery of initial educationalguidance in both the statutory and non-statutory sectors which embraceslifelong learning.

The WEA welcomes the proposedincreased investment in the CareersService. As the nature and shape ofwork changes the need for a universalentitlement to high quality careersguidance and support is as essential foradults as it is for school leavers. TheCareers Service and Uf I must be giventhe capacity to counsel and advise thoseuncertain about which opportunities topursue.

V idening Participation

The need to widen participation in adultlearning is irresistible. Over recent yearsgreat strides have been made toencourage participation from groups whotraditionally have chosen not to take partin learning beyond school age. FurtherEducation Colleges, adult, residentialand community learning providers arerightly praised as being:

'the key to breaking the vicious circle ofpoor economic performance and aninadequate standard of living', (4.14)

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The Further Education Funding Councilhas responded positively to thechallenge of widening participation.However the system by which newresources are to be targeted throughpostcodes is imperfect. The Governmentis urged to work with the Council todevelop a more effective and appropriatemechanism for the distribution ofresources to sustain the wideningparticipation agenda. The primary focusshould be on the identification of levelsof past educational achievement.

The Consultation Paper has recognisedthat participation in high quality,organised learning is a valuable end initself. For many adult learners thedecision to return to study requires themto overcome negative memories ofcompulsory education. Their enthusiasmto exorcise such ghosts should not becompromised by requiring them to followonly certain approved curriculum areas.The WEA's experience shows thatcrossing the threshold of returning tostudy, in whatever form the learnerconsiders appropriate, raises confidenceand encourages a move to furtheracademic or vocational study.

It would be appropriate therefore for theGovernment to seek from the FurtherEducation Funding Council furtherreview of the recurrent fundingmethodology. In particular, provision thatencourages participation which aims toprepare learners for entry to coursesfunded under Schedule 2d of the Furtherand Higher Act 1992 should qualify forCouncil funding.

The WEA welcomes the attention givenby the Tomlinson Committee toeducational provision for students withlearning difficulties and/or disabilities.The vision of inclusive learningpropounded in the Committee's Reportrightly places the onus on providers toensure that their institutions, curriculaand structures encourage participationby all who wish to learn. Only throughthe provision of adequate resources tosupport the individual needs of learnerscan each member of society be able to

participate in the 'learning revolution'.The WEA's first submission to theLearning Age consultation, 'BringingDown the Barriers', demonstrated waysby which obstacles to participation canbe overcome.

Partnerships

Partnerships of statutory and non-statutory bodies, providers across allsectors, funders and accrediting bodieshave the potential to meet the needs ofadult learners. The WEA's experience ofcollaborative working shows that to betruly effective, partnerships mustembrace and value the skills andexperiences that each partner can offer.

As the practice and promotion ofpartnerships becomes more widespread,particular attention must be paid toenable the participation of smallerorganisations on as equal a basis aspossible.

The Government is urged to develop aCode of Practice which provides aframework for the development ofpartnerships at all levels. The Codeshould emphasise that the primary focusof the partnership must be to meet theneeds of learners and should alsoestablish arrangements whereby theeffectiveness of the partnership ismonitored.

Community Learning

The WEA welcomes the recognitiongiven in the Consultation Paper to thecontribution it makes to the developmentand promotion of community-basedlearning. The WEA has always beencommitted to the provision of learningwhich builds from the learners'community and gives proper emphasis tothe collective capacity building nature oflearning itself.

For a variety of reasons many potentiallearners are unable to access learning intraditional institutions, whether throughdisability, geographic isolation or other

20

barriers. Overcoming these problemsrequires innovative and often resourceintensive solutions which take thelearning to the learners. TheGovernment should support, in terms ofadvocacy and resources, provisionwhich offers accessible learning to meetthe needs of individual communities.

The proposed Adult and CommunityLearning Fund is welcomed as a meansto support and develop imaginativeschemes that widen access to adulteducation. The Government shouldensure that in the administration of thefund an appropriate balance of prioritiesis found. Whilst it is important that adultsare given the opportunity to update andupgrade their key skills, sufficientemphasis must be given to projectswhich address the range of adultlearners' needs and motivation to learn,especially in community settings.

The Government should recognise thatmany of the charities and trusts it wishesto see as partners within this initiativemay well only be able to contributeexpertise, skills and enthusiasm toprojects rather than financial resources.Inappropriate match funding and othercriteria would run the risk of excludingfrom the initiative many of the voluntaryand community organisations bestplaced to develop effective andappropriate provision.

The WEA supports the ConsultationPaper's view that facilities withincommunities such as libraries andmuseums should be used to offeraccessible learning opportunities. Therole of these local resources is vital iflearning is to be viewed as integral topeople's daily lives. These facilities willbecome increasingly important as the Ufland other initiatives become establishedparts of the learning environment.Investigation into practical ways in whichprovision can be enhanced through co-operation with museums and galleries iscurrently a development priority for theWEA.

The Government should activelyencourage schools to recognise the role

they can play as a focus of communityactivity. If the Learning Age is to berealised then facilities within schoolsmust be used appropriately to benefit thelocal community. This should include therequirement upon schools to offerappropriate access to their IT equipmentto ensure that adults can participate in,and benefit from, the technologicalrevolution being envisaged by theNational Grid for Learning.

The WEA has considerable experiencein developing provision that builds uponand reinforces schools' capacity toencourage participation in learning.These include supporting voluntary classhelpers and governors, personaldevelopment courses for parents, andfamily literacy and numeracyprogrammes.

The WEA also offers a range of coursesthat aim to increase and supportlearners' activity within their localcommunity. These include capacitybuilding programmes, promotion ofadvocacy skills and increasingunderstanding of their position in theglobal community. Such provisionrecognises the social value ofvoluntarism: for many people the returnto learning is also a return to voluntaryactivity in the wider sense.

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5: ENSURONGSTANDARDS, QUAILDTYAND ACCOUNTADDLOTY

All providers of learning opportunities,whether statutory or non-statutoryinstitutions or agencies, should committhemselves continuously to improvingthe quality of the service they offer tolearners. The Consultation Paper rightlyemphasises the primacy of meetinglearners' needs as the test of aprovider's performance. The WEAagrees with the Consultation Paper that,in addition, providers must concernthemselves with:

Providing high quality teaching.

o Setting, publishing and meetingtargets for improving achievement.

o Identifying and dealing withweaknesses.

o Having objective externalassessment.

o Ensuring that they provide goodvalue for money.

Training

The WEA applauds the Government'saim that all new teachers in furthereducation should hold, or within twoyears of appointment have begun, arecognised initial teacher trainingqualification. The WEA recognises thatteaching staff in further, higher and adulteducation represent a major resource inachieving the Learning Age. Accordingly,staff development and training has toattract high priority within institutions.Whatever the skills required and at thevery least, staff will need training in newways of working, in wideningparticipation and in the application ofinformation and communicationtechnologies - they will be as necessaryfor part-time staff as full-time staff.

The Consultation Paper notes that aNational Training Organisation (NTO) willbe established for further education inthe near future with the remit to setappropriate sectoral standards fortraining and staff development. TheWEA welcomes this decision andanticipates that the establishment of theNTO for Lifelong Education, Action andDevelopment (covering the fouroccupational areas of Adult Education,Community Education, Community Workand Youth Work) will be agreed shortly.

The training and staff developmentneeds of the Adult Learning sector willdiffer from further education, largely fortwo reasons:

o The overwhelming dependency ofthe sector on part-time teachers.

o The active participation ofvolunteers whose unpaidcommitment to the work of thesector is vital to its furtherdevelopment.

Staff and volunteers in the multitude ofvoluntary and community-basedorganisations will play a decisive role inbuilding the Learning Age. In the WEA'sview this is the strongest of arguments infavour of the Government establishingdirect funding arrangements for thetraining of teachers of adults, full-timeand part-time, as well as volunteers whoprovide support for adult learners.

Targets and Standards

The Learning Age must be an age ofhigh quality learning in which allproviders are enjoined in seekingcontinuous improvement to the servicethey offer. Targets are an essentialreference point for measuring thesuccess or otherwise of institutionalresponses to learning needs. Targets inthe Learning Age must reflect thevariegated nature of lifelong learning,they must act as an incentive for

22

learners and providers, and they mustattract legitimacy through a sense ofcommon ownership. For these reasonsthe WEA believes it is imperative that theconsultation on the National Educationand Training Targets (NETTS) fullyrecognises the various areas ofinvolvement in learning, the levels andstages of achievements, and the varioustypes of participation reflected in lifelonglearning.

The Fryer Report has argued that iftargets are to be set and progresstowards them properly monitored, thenreliable comparative data is essential.Whereas there is solid data available forhigher education, including rates ofreturn on investment, no such generalconclusion can be drawn for furthereducation. The picture is moreproblematic for community-based adultlearning. Most worrying of all is theabsolute paucity of data on that broadrange of learning activity whichembraces capacity building incommunities and includes familylearning, voluntary agencies'programmes, and community grouplearning activities. Thus any judgementon the 'added value' which accrues tosociety as a whole from inter-generational learning, learningopportunities for the frail elderly, or forthose recovering from mental or physicalillness, cannot be validated throughrobust data, yet few would question itsvalue in helping to create a sense ofsocial cohesion.

The WEA is firmly of the view that theGovernment should commissioncomparative research aimed atidentifying benefits and added value toindividuals and to society as a whole inall forms of post-compulsory educationand training.

[Inspectflon

The WEA welcomes the ConsultationPaper's proposal to take early action tosecure the improvement and

harmonisation of inspectionarrangements for post-16 education andtraining. The value of objective externalassessment of performance, allied to avigorous self-assessment framework,cannot be overstated. Within a genuinelysupportive environment, inspection andself-assessment have the capacity tosustain the systematic search forcontinuous improvement in the quality ofservice offered to learners by providers.

The WEA endorses the Fryer Report'srecommendation that Governmentshould give consideration to how theoverlapping but different duties ofOFSTED, the FEFCI, the HEQAA, andthe new Training Inspectorate might beperformed within a common inspectionframework. Such an approach wouldprovide the necessary pre-condition forall accredited and non-accredited lifelonglearning provision, wherever it isdelivered, to be supported by effectivequality assurance.

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6: RECOGIMSNOACHDEVEMENT

The WEA is sensitive to the ConsultationPaper's concern that all qualificationsshould provide evidence of educationalattainment and a mechanism by whicheducational standards can be upheld. Itshould be, recognised also thatqualifications do have intrinsic value.As the Fryer Report has argued:

". . most (people) look for someacknowledgement of their involvement inlearning and some means by which theycan be given recognition for it by others.Learners also value an indication forthemselves, if nobody else, of thelearning gain their efforts have brought."

To this end the WEA believes therecognition of learning achievementshould:

o Be comprehensible to, and valuedby the learner and other interestedparties.

o Be flexible and appropriate to thelearner's needs.

O Ensure the standard of learningprovision.

Qua0ificaUorus Reform

The WEA supports the view that thequalifications system in Britain is in needof reform. The jungle of available awardsleads to confusion about the currencyvalue and equivalence of qualificationsand risks undermining learners'achievements in the eyes of employersand other interested parties. Accordingly,the formation of the Qualifications andCurriculum Authority is an importantinitiative. By bringing togetherresponsibility for all levels of study, frompre-school to higher level vocationaleducation, a sense of coherence can bedeveloped within which a culture oflifelong learning can emerge.

This single body, with responsibility forthe entire range of qualifications up todegree level, deserves support in its aimof dismantling the damaging dividebetween academic and vocationalawards. A coherent National CreditFramework would allow learners,employers, funders, and others torecognise the level and value of allqualifications. The WEA would urge thatsuch a framework should dovetail withhigher education's CATS system tofacilitate a seamless transition betweensectors.

The WEA endorses the view of theConsultation Paper that a creditaccumulation and transfer system shouldbe developed alongside the NationalCredit Framework. Unitisation ofcurricula into manageable andachievable segments would offerappropriate recognition to those manyadults who are able to learn only atintervals over time. In such a wayflexibility of study could be achieved, andwasteful repetition of delivery avoided.

However, such a system must beunderpinned by robust monitoringmechanisms to record achievement. TheNational Record of Achievement orProgress File could provide this,supported by high quality impartialguidance and advice to learners, thusensuring that appropriate choices aremade from the range of opportunitiesavailable.

The WEA is concerned that a flexiblecredit accumulation and transfer systemmust allow for the development ofaccredited learning fully in tune withlearners' needs. Much of the WEA'scommunity-based provision has beenaccredited through local organisations,including Open College Networks. Thisensures that the resulting programmesrespond directly to the learners' needs. Itis important that the qualificationsoffered by such programmes arerecognised within the National CreditFramework.

The foundation for the development of acredit accumulation system and the

National Credit Framework is therecognition that certain skills underpin alllearning activities and the ConsultationPaper's focus on these Key Skills iswelcomed. If people are truly to embracethe concept of lifelong learning they mustbe helped to develop the skillsnecessary to enable them to learn. It isessential that full recognition is given tothe existing skills of learners, which mayhave been acquired through previous ornon-formal learning, by coherent androbust mechanisms of accreditation ofprior learning.

The proposal to introduce new entrylevel or 'starter qualifications iswelcomed as providing opportunities foraccredited learning for those for whomfoundation qualifications are toodaunting. However, the Government andQCA should recognise that for somepotential learners the prospect of anylevel of accredited learning acts as abarrier to returning to study. Toovercome this, support should be givento initiatives that aim to developimaginative mechanisms by whichlearning achievements beyond formalqualifications can be valued.

FlecognMon of AchievemeM

The Government and the QCA shouldacknowledge that formal accreditation isonly one measure by which achievementis recognised. The WEA believesstrongly that for many adult learners therequirement of formal assessment isinappropriate. Previous poor educationalexperiences and examination failure canturn adults away from learning for life.Initiatives to encourage their return tostudy are often ineffective if the learningprogramme is required to focus primarilyon achieving qualifications.

The WEA has been at the forefront ofinitiatives aimed at developing goodpractice in recognising learners' goalsand achievements in areas of provisionwhich are not designed to lead to formalqualifications. The recent FEDApublication, A Sense of Achievement:

23

Outcomes of Adult Learning (1997),recognised that such approaches areconcerned with the:

"accreditation of learning in its widestsense: finding ways of identifying,recording and valuing learning whichstart with learners' needs."

The Learning Outcomes Strategydeveloped by the WEA encouragesstudents to take greater responsibility fortheir own learning, placing them in abetter position to confirm their learningachievements. Tutors producesyllabuses that make explicit theproposed learning outcomes of thecourse what students should be able tothink, do, feel or say as a result of theirnewly acquired knowledge andunderstanding. These outcomes arediscussed and agreed by the class andmay be modified during the course. Atthe end of the course, students areencouraged to reflect upon their learningand consider how best to continue theirstudies in the future.

The active celebration of learning is animportant means by which the WEAdemonstrates the added value of itsstudents' achievements. Students areencouraged to produce publications,anthologies and newsletters, organiseexhibitions and performances andbecome active in local and nationalcommunity education initiatives.

Accordingly, the WEA endorses theFryer Report's plea that:

"Government, other funders andproviders should seek to cherish equallythose many forms of learning which canclearly demonstrate high quality,achievement for learners and addedvalue."

23

24

AMMonsThe WEA is a member organisation of:

ADSETCEA (Council for Educational Advance)DEA (Development Education Association)IBT (International Broadcasting Trust)Local Authorities Women's NetworkNCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations)NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education)

EU-IRIS (Women's Training Network)IFWEA (International Federation of Workers' EducationAssociations)EURO-WEA (the European Regional Organisation ofIFWEA)

28 national organisations, with an interest in adultand workers' education, are affiliated to the WEA atnational level:

Banking, Insurance & Finance UnionCeramic and Allied Trades UnionCommunication Managers AssociationCo-operative Union LimitedCo-operative Wholesale Society LtdFircroft College of Adult EducationFire Brigades UnionGeneral Federation of Trade UnionsGMBGraphical Paper & Media UnionIron & Steel Trades Confederation,Manufacturing Science FinanceMusicians' UnionNational Association of Schoolmasters, Union of WomenTeachersNational Union of Insurance WorkersNational Union of JournalistsNational Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel TradesNational Union of Marine Aviation & Shipping TransportOfficersNational Union of TeachersPre-School Learning AlliancePublic and Commercial Services UnionRuskin CollegeSociety of Telecom ExecutivesTrades Union CongressTransport and General Workers' UnionTransport Salaried Staffs' AsociationUNISONUnion of Shop Distributive & Allied Workers

At District level, a wide range of regional and localorganisations are affiliated to the WEA.

26

27

Tel: 0181-9831515 Fax: 0181-9834840Email: info@wea.org.trK

Cheshire, Merseyside & West Lancashire7/8 Bluecoat Chambers, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BXTel: 0151-7098023 Fax: 0151-7080046Email: office@cmwl.wea.org.uk

EasternBotolph House, 17 Botolph Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RETel: 01223-350978 Fax: 01223-300911Email: office@east.wea.org.uk

East Midland39, Mapper ley Road, Mapper ley Park Nottingham NG3 5AQTel: 0115-962 8400 Fax: 0115-9628401Email: office@emid.wea.org.uk

London4 Luke Street, London EC2A 4NTTel: 0171-3887261/3878966 Fax: 0171-3835668Email: office@lon.wea.org.uk

Northern51 Grainger Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 5JETel: 0191-2323957 Fax: 0191-2303696Email: office@north.wea.org.uk

North Western4th Floor, Crawford House, University Precinct Centre,Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9GHTel: 0161-2737652 Fax: 0161-2744948Email: office@nw.wea.org.uk

South Eastern4 Castle Hill, Rochester, Kent ME1 100Tel: 01634-842140 Fax: 01634-815643Email: office@se.wea.org.uk

South WesternMartin's Gate, Bretonside, Plymouth PL4 OATTel: 01752-664989 Fax: 01752-254195Email: office@sw.wea.org.uk

Thames and Solent6 Brewer Street, Oxford OX1 1ONTel: 01865-246270 Fax: 01865-204282Email: office@ts.wea.org.uk

Western40 Morse Road, Redfield, Bristol BS5 9LBTel: 0117-9351764 Fax: 0117-9411757Email: office@west.wea.org.uk

West Mercia78/80 Sherlock Street, Birmingham B5 6LTTel: 0121-6666101 Fax: 0121-6222526Email: office@wmer.wea.org.uk

Yorkshire North6 Woodhouse Square, Leeds L53 'IADTel: 0113-2453304 Fax: 0113-2450883Email: office@yn.wea.org.uk

Yorkshire SouthChantry Buildings, 6-20 Corporation Street, Rotherham S60 1NGTel: 01709-837001 Fax: 01709-372121/362900Email: office@ys.wea.org.uk

Scottish AssociationRiddle's Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PGTel: 0131-2263456 Fax: 0131-2200306

WEA Brussels OfficeRue Royale 207, B-1210 Brussels, BelgiumTel: 0032 2 2235552 Fax: 0032 2 2235555Email: wealtc@pophost.eunet.be

WEA Web site: http://www.wea.org.uk

2 8

The Workers Educational Association existsprimarily to provide adults with access toexperience of organised learning which

develops intellectual understanding,confidence and social and collective

responsibility. Particular features of its approachto the provision of learning

opportunities for adults include:

Valuing and making use of students' lifeexperience

Involving students in organising provisionand planning their own learning

Targeting students who have benefited least fromthe education system and from opportunities for

further and higher education

Collaborating with other organisations andagencies to meet the needs of adult learners for

educational guidance, equal access toprovision, and for relevant, progressive and

accredited learning opportunities

Offering high quality learning experiencesunderpinned by regular monitoring and

evaluation of the programme

Providing staff development opportunities forprofessional staff and training

for voluntary members

Promoting and supporting the voluntarymovement by which the Association governs itself

and decides its future strategy

WORKERS' EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATIONTHE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

Temple House,17 Victoria Park Square

London E2 9PBTelephone: +44 (181) 983 1515

Fax: +44 (181) 983 4840E-mail: info@wea.org.uk

Charity Registration Number 314001

U.S. Department of EducationOffice of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI)

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If the right to grant this reproduction release is held by someone other than the addressee, please provide the appropriate name andaddress:

Name:

Address:

V. WHERE TO SEND THIS FORM:

Send this form to the following ERIC Clearinghouse:Acquisitions Coordinator

ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational EducationCenter on Education and Training for Employment

1900 Kenny RoadColumbus, OH 43210-1090

However, if solicited by the ERIC Facility, or if making an unsolicited contribution to ERIC, return this form (and the document beingcontributed) to:

EFF-088 (Rev. 9/97)PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF THIS FORM ARE OBSOLETE.